Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

Chanel Coromandels de Chanel: Vintage Chanel!

November 16th, 2011 by Karen 14 Comments

I was having breakfast with my friend Marisol this morning when she whipped out this vintage Chanel Coromandels de Chanel palette (fall 2005!). I kid you not, I nearly choked on my Nutella croissant. Even with most of the original design worn off it’s still beautiful.

The CHANEL Fall Collection was inspired by the rich materials, flamboyant colours and decorative style of the Far East. The CHANEL face is wearing new COROMANDELS DE CHANEL on eyes and cheeks, and Shanghai Red Creme Lipstick.
— chanel.com

The Chanel Coromandels de Chanel Fall 2005 collection…

Coromandels de Chanel, a three color palette for eyes and cheeks
Poudre Coromandel, a golden pearl highlighter for the face and neck
Irreelle Duo Silky Eyeshadow Duos in Desert-Rose, Orient-Express, Brun-Express, Trans-Atlantic, Train-Bleu, Matte-Velvet, Sunset-Gold and Emerald-Coast
Rouge Hydrabase Creme Lipsticks in Shanghai Red and Rose Paradise
Aqualumiere Sheer Colour Lipshines in Java and Honolulu
Glossimers in Pagoda, Sunset Gold and Sesame
Rouge Double Intensite Ultra Wear Lip Colours in Pink Sapphire and Fire Opal
Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Orchid Rose
Le Crayon Khol in Black Jade
Le Vernis Nail Colours in Shanghai Red and Gold Shimmer

The Breast Cancer Awareness Month Sign Project and Giveaway: Thank You and Congratulations

November 16th, 2011 by Karen 16 Comments

You made hand-drawn support signs, signs made from string, signs on sticky notes and even signs made with makeup!

You guys did it again, making the second year in The Breast Cancer Awareness Month Sign Project and Giveaway a big success, and even though the words, “thank you,” don’t seem like enough, I do thank you. Thank you for putting yourself out there last month in support of breast cancer awareness.

Every morning I’d get up, waddle over to my computer, and pull up my email to find your lovely smiles lighting up my screen. Your children, grandchildren, friends and beloved pets even made appearances, too.

The winner of this year’s giveaway, Patti, with her grandson and her sign
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NARS Unsung Heroes: Lovejoy Blush

November 16th, 2011 by Karen 34 Comments

Combined, some words are even greater than the sum of their parts. Take Nutella and doughnuts, for instance. Both tasty treats by themselves, for sure, but stick them together and BOOM!

Magic (super high-calorie magic).

I think the same principle also applies to NARS Lovejoy, a $27 powder blush from the NARS permanent line.

NARS Lovejoy does more than combine two — wait, three great words. It also combines two of my favorite products, blush and bronzer.

And seriously, with a name like Lovejoy, how could it have been anything but good?

Around this time every year, with the last vestiges of my summer tan fading from view, I start reaching for bronzers more and more often to add some extra warmth to my face. Not as a replacement for blush, but in addition to it.

But on days when I’m too rushed (or too lazy) in the morning to deal with both, NARS Lovejoy’s mix of rosy plum and bronze pigments and golden glitter totally hits the spot. Its power comes from its ability to combine a rosy flush with a natural-looking bronzy glow, so it’s kinda like getting a two-for-one, with a bronzer and blush in a single pan. I think it really sings on olive skin tones, but I’ve also heard cool-toned gals gush over it, too.

Because NARS gave Lovejoy more than enough pigment, I think it’s easy to overdo. It pays to apply it with a feather light touch, and I like the results I get when I use it with a synthetic skunk brush (for a sheer, natural-looking veil of color).

One layer is usually enough to give my cheeks a flush like they’ve just been pinched, and because I don’t have to use much, the pan should last, oh, roughly three lifetimes. 🙂

Even if you fear sparkly stuff, don’t be scurred of Lovejoy’s golden glitter. It may look intimidating in the pan, but those flecks are super fine and don’t shine a spotlight on pores or fine lines. Just enough shimmer to keep skin looking glowy and fresh.

And to top everything off, Lovejoy lasts all day long on my combination skin.

Ahh, Lovejoy… I love that you bring me so much joy.

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Hang in There

November 16th, 2011 by Karen 5 Comments

Some mid-week advice.

EcoTools Extends a Helping Hand to the Planet and Gets You Squeaky Clean with Their $3 Bath & Shower Gloves

November 16th, 2011 by Karen 38 Comments

5 Things That Give Me a Strange Sense of Satisfaction

Taking off my bra after a really long day
Flossing the HECK out of my teeth
Cleaning my belly button with a Q-tip
Clipping my toe nails (it’s even better if they’re really long)
Vigorously exfoliating with these shower gloves

I just picked up this cute new pair by EcoTools ($3). It’s made from 65% recycled materials, which I thought was pretty cool. Probably puts a lot of old plastic soda bottles, yogurt cups and tubs of margarine to good use.

The gloves feel soft and pliable, yet they’re still coarse and dense enough to give my bod a good scrubbing.

I got them in green because they matched my bath towels (nerd!), but they also come in brown and blue. 🙂

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Bejeweled!

November 16th, 2011 by Karen 2 Comments

There’s no shortage of glitter with the LORAC Bejeweled Lip Gloss Collection ($25; available now at Sephora and also online).

Chanel’s Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colours Feel So Light That They Defy Gravity!

November 15th, 2011 by Karen 56 Comments

Wearing Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in 36 La Caline

I’ve only been snowboarding once, and it was a very long time ago. I don’t remember much about that day anymore, but I do recall the cold. I remember that much — the part about freezing my @ass off — and I also remember flying down the mountain and feeling lighter than air, with the wind whipping through my ponytail and my heart pounding in my chest.

I’d do it again if it wasn’t so cold, but what can I say? I was made in the tropics. 🙂

Snow wasn’t part of my original programming, but I think I was configured to appreciate featherweight lip products like the new Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colours ($32 each, available in eight shades).

They feel so light on my lips that I’d swear I wasn’t wearing anything at all. Light, just like I felt flying down that mountain all those years ago.

Chanel describes the finish of these Luminous Matte Lip Colours as “velvet matte,” which does have a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? I think they’re mostly matte, with a slight shine to keep lips from looking flat and fake, like the lips on a mannequin.

chanel rouge allure velvet luminous matte lip colour (3)
From the left: 41 L’Exquise, 39 La Somptueuse, 36 La Caline (with a smooshed tip!) and another tube of 36 La Caline (with an unsmooshed tip)

Swatches from the left: 36 La Caline, 39 La Somptueuse and 41 L’Exquise

Wearing 36 La Caline
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It Takes One or Two to Tango with Bobbi Brown’s New Chocolate & Gold Eye Palette

November 15th, 2011 by Karen 38 Comments

bobbi brown chocolate & gold eye paint palette (5)

Y’all want this party started, right?
Y’all want this party started quickly, right?

— C+C Music Factory

Bobbi Brown sure knows how to throw a holiday party. Her latest soirÃ©e features four entertaining colors and two of my favorite things: chocolate and gold.

Today the limited edition $45 Chocolate & Gold Eye Paint Palette, one of two quads in Bobbi’s new Party Collection, took me on a stroll down memory lane that started with this classic house hit…

WARNING: It’s always a good idea to stretch before dancing to this song

Chocolate & Gold happens to be a great dance partner! The shadows, while fabulous on their own, get along great with others and flat-out love to be layered.

Which reminds me — do you remember the moment you realized that you could wear more than one eyeshadow on your lids at a time? Better yet, when you figured out that you could even layer those shades together?

GASP! That’s a moment that changed my makeup world forever. 🙂

Flash forward to today. I was just fooling around this morning when I applied the bronzy gold from the Chocolate & Gold Palette (at the top in the pic below) on top of the darker black and gold shadow on the right.

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